Kansas Mesonet
K-State Research & Extension weather stations are at the root of the Kansas Mesonet.
These stations were established in 1986 at KSRE research centers and experiment facilities around the state.
Most were co-located with National Weather Service Cooperative Observing Stations.
Since that period our network has grown and we now collaborate with the Kansas Water Office,
Big Bend Groundwater Management District, the Equus Beds Groundwater Management District, and the USDA Soil Climate Analysis Network.
Site Selection
Stations are located in long-term sites with exposure as recommended by the World Meteorological Organization.
New locations are selected based on unavailability of automated weather data in the region.
Most of the sites are located on private land with permission of the cooperating land owner.
All weather stations use research grade instruments which are installed at the WMO recommended standard heights.
Selected weather stations have a second wind monitor at the 10m height.
Site Maintenance
Technicians from the Kansas State University Weather Data Library regularly visit each station a minimum of two times each year.
Once during the Spring and again in the Fall.
During these site visits sensor, data logger, communications, and power supply systems are inspected to ensure they are functioning according to Kansas Mesonet operation standards.
When a sensor is not functioning properly it is replaced with a new one and returned to the manufacturer for repair and recalibration or recycled as electronic waste.
During each visit the overall site conditions ( e.g. fencing, immediate area grass cover, surrounding fetch areas ) are inspected to ensure accurate and representative measurements.
